Electrical disconnecting device



Sept. 3, 1935. R E. SCHWARZ 2,013,507

ELECTRICAL DISCONNECTING DEVICE Filed July 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet llllll lltll MIMI";

INVENTOR ATTORN EY @Qili/ Z: $152143; j 424%;

Sept. 3, 1935. R. E, SCHWARZ ELECTRICAL DISCONNECTING DEVICE 2Sheets-Shet 2 Filed July 6, 1931 INVENTOR M a? ATTORNEY III W PatentedSept. 3, 1935 ELECTRICAL DISCONNECTING DEVICE Richard E'. Schwarz, RoyalOak, Mich.

Application July 6, 1931, Serial No. 548,755

13 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical connecting and disconnectingdevices, and more particularly to devices of this character especiallyadapted for use where the difficulties attendant to connection anddisconnection of the parts are considerable.

An object of the invention is a connecting and disconnecting deviceincluding (1) a stationary part, hereafter called a receptacle; (2) aremovable part, hereafter called a plug, connected to a flexible cableand adapted to be inserted into or withdrawn from the receptacle; and(3) asafety device including an elongated operating stick or key forfacilitating plugging in or withdrawal of the plug with respect to thereceptacle froma safe distance from the latter.

In the preferred form of the invention, the parts are so'designed thatthe plug is disposed on the end of the stick and is inserted into thereceptacle with the aid of the operating stick, and the latter must thenbe rotated axially to lock the plug in place in the receptacle beforethe stick can be withdrawn from the plug. In this manner a positiveassurance that the plug is locked in the receptacle is provided.Conversely, when the plug is to be withdrawn from the receptacle, theoperating stick or key must be used tounlock the plug from thereceptacle before the latter can be withdrawn.

Still further objects will readily occur to those skilled in the artupon: reference to the following description and the accompanyingdrawings in which Fig. 1' shows a receptacle provided with one form ofhood and with a plug, there also being shown an operating stick in theposition it occupies just after the plug has been inserted and justbefore the latter is locked in place.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.-

Fig. 3 shows a form of connection between: the receptacle and a bus bar.

Fig. 4 is a partial top' plan view of Fig. 3'.

Fig. 5 is a View showing one use of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is another view of the receptacle, this view further showinganother form of hood.

Fig. 7 is a view of the plug per se. Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view ofFig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view of the key end of the operating stick.

Fig.

Fig. 6 Fig. Fig;

taken on the line 2'-2' of Fig. 1 but looking up wardly and with theplug member removed.

Before describing the device in detail, it will be noted that thereceptacle shown in Fig. 1 is the same as the receptacle shown in Fig.6. Fig. 1, however, shows the receptacle provided with the form of hoodand with a bus bar connecting adapter, whereas Fig. 6 shows thereceptacle provided with a different form of hood, and with a cableterminal connecting means.

Itwill thus be observed from Figs. 5 and 10 that the receptacle of Fig.l is particularly adapted for suspension from Mrs bars, whereas the formof Fig. 6 is particularly adapted to be supported upon a suitablesupport in a well known manner. Both forms, however, are designed forconnection to apparatus by means of flexible cables whose ends areprovided with plugs of the form of Fig. 7.

Now referring to the drawings for a detailed description of the device,it will be seen that the device of Fig. 1 includes a cylindrical hoodit, of a suitable material, which may be of insulating nature, ifdesired. The upper end of the hood is closed by an apertured sheet metalcover i i, held thereon by screws indicated at M.- Disposed withinthehood is a metal casting or the like in the shape of a socket which formsthe receptacle l6 and the latter has at its upper end a threaded stud I8upon which is threaded the T shaped adapter 20', there being a pin 22for holding the adapter in place on the stud.

The cross bar 23 of the T shaped adapter is more or less trough shapedand receives a tap line or bus bar 24- Which is electrically andmechanically connected to the adapter and thus to the receptacle by thebinding wire 2i= which is sweated or soldered to the adapter and the busbar, there being copper clips 28 which assist inpreventing spreading ofthe binding who before they are sweated together and to the bus. Fromthe foregoing it will be seen that the receptacle and its hood, as aunit, are suspended from the bus bar. Instead of the binding wire, abolted clamp can also be used to connect the receptacle to the bus.

The receptacle It at its lower end is provided with a cross plate 4i!having a rectangular aperture l2' thru which the squared" end of theplug, to be described later, is adapted to be projected, there beingheld therein, by pins 43. elongated, deflected,- contact springs 44 ofsuitable cross section adapted to engage the plug when the latter is inplace. Bhe springsare restrained from undue deflection by the shoulders45- of the recep-" tacle, and are provided with beveled ends tofacilitate entry of a plug.

The lower end of the receptacle is provided with a skirt 36 in which isseated an annular guide 68, there being a screw St for holding thelatter in its place in the skirt. A locking sleeve 52 is looselydisposed within the guide and has an overhanging flange 54 which restson the upper surface of the guide so that as the sleeve is rotatedwithin the guide, the former is supported by the overhanging flange 54.The sleeve is holllow as shown, and is provided with diametricallyopposed slots 56 thru which, when they are aligned with the receptacleaperture '12, the plug may be inserted.

A friction device, including a ball 58 adapted to be held in one of theball seats 59 in the upper surface of the sleeve by the spring 6i), isfitted in a part of the receptacle to provide an impositive frictionstop for the sleeve as it is rotated to and from its locked and unlockedpositions. A stop pin 62 threaded thru the receptacle skirt above theguide 48 is adapted to be engaged by one or the other of the spacedshoulders St on the ends of the cut away side of the sleeve 54 to limitthe rotation of the latter.

The device of Fig. 6 includes a hood 5 I6 which may be, if desired, ofporcelain or the like, and which receives the receptacle it. The uppersurface of the hood is apertured so that the stud [8 of the receptaclemay pass therethru and into the threaded bore of the adapter iii]. Thelatter, in turn, is received within a split terminal I22 on the end of ahigh tension supply cable A24 which is held in the bore of the terminalH22 by a screw I25. The split parts of the terminal I22 are held to eachother by threaded bolts indicated at 52?. Within the skirt #36 of thereceptacle i8 is a bell mouthed guide N8 of insulating material such ascomposition, fiber, or the like, the guide being held in the skirt bythe screw 56. The hood M8 serves to guard the hood Hi3 against injury orbreakage when a plug is inserted, and also serves to support the lookingsleeve. Of course, if the hood is not made of a frangible material, theguide need not be flared, as shown, since the hood protecting func tionthereof may be omitted.

The device of Fig. 6 is adapted to be mounted on a support Hill by meansof a U bolt I'll which passes around the hood H0 in the groove I72 ofthe latter, there being nuts, indicated at 173, for drawing up the boltIll so that the hood is clamped against the spacer block I14, asindicated. Otherwise the device of Fig. 10 is exactly the same as thedevice of Fig. l, and cooperates with the plug and operating stick orkey in the same manner.

For use with the receptacles of Figs. 1 and 6, a plug shown in Figs. 1and 7 is provided. This plug has an enlarged rectangular blade portion89, a small cylindrical body portion 82 provided with a bore indicatedat 83, an annular flange 8A and a cable terminal 85, all of the partspreferably being integral with one another, the plug preferably being ofa metallic casting of good conductivity.

The blade is rectangular and is of such a size that it can pass thru thediametrically opposed slots of the locking sleeves 52 and thru therectangular aperture 42 in the bottom of plate 46 of the receptacle. Thebody part 82 is cylindrical and of such a diameter that it can readilyfit within the locking sleeve 52. The blade is wider than the bore ofthe locking sleeve,

however, so that when the latter is rotated, with its slots out ofregistry with the blade, the lower surface of the latter, referenced 36,will engage the top of the sleeve flange 5 and be thereby prevented frombeing withdrawn from the receptacle. The body, however, is longer thanthe sleeve, so that the latter may be disposed between the blade 36 andthe plug flange 85, when the sleeve is rotated for locking purposes.

The cable terminal portion 8%: is adapted to receive the end of a cable81 which leads from suitable electrical apparatus 88, and it will beseen that when the plug is connected to the live receptacle it, it willconduct current from the latter to the apparatus 88.

For use with the plug of Fig. 7 is an elongated operating stick Gil,shown in Figs. 1 and 9, and having an end in the form of a cylindricalfinger the stick being also provided with an elongated key 9d. Thecylindrical finger 92 fits within the bore 83 of the plug so that thelatter can be held on the end of the stick. The elongated key 5&- is soproportioned and is so spaced from the part 92 that when the plug is tobe disposed on the end of the operating stick the key 94 will pass thruthe slot 95 of the plug flange 84. On its inner surface, the key is cutaway at 9'? so that the stick may be rotated axially degrees with thecut away part 98 of the plug flange being encompassed within the key cut97. The shoulder 53$ on the end of the part 98 limits the rotation ofthe stick.

The operation of the foregoing parts will now be described in detail:When the apparatus 88 is to be supplied with current from the bus bar24, or from the cable lit, the plug must be inserted into thereceptacle. In order to do this it is first necessary to insert thecylindrical finger on the end of the operating stick in the bore 83 ofthe plug, the key passing thru the slot 96. The stick is then rotatedwith respect to the plug 90 degrees so that the elongated key is nolonger disposed within the slot 96 of the plug flange. The operatingstick is thus made temporarily non-removable from the plug.

With the operating stick as a remotely operable or safety handle, theplug is then inserted into the receptacle. The blade passes thru thediametrically opposed slots 56 in the receptacle locking sleeve and thruthe rectangular aperture in the bottom plate of the receptacle. The keyof the operating stick is also received within one of the slots in thelocking sleeve. The operating stick at this time cannot be withdrawnfrom the receptacle without the plug also being withdrawn since the plugflange part 98 holds the key and thus the stick in place.

In order to remove the operating stick it becomes necessary to rotate it90 degrees so that the elongated key will once more register with theplug slot 95. This operation also rotates the locking sleeve 90 degrees.Such rotation of the stick and the sleeve not only permits withdrawal ofthe operating stick from the assembled parts but also interposes underthe lower corner 36 of the blade 89, the flange of the sleeve so as toprevent the blade from being withdrawn from the receptacle.

It will thus be seen that the operation of withdrawing the operatingstick from the stationary device, viz., the receptacle, is automaticallycombined with the operation of locking the plug in the receptacle. Theseoperations also automatically place the parts in position to receive theill operating stick once more when the plug is to be withdrawn from thereceptacle.

Further, the elongated operating stick serves to protect the operator bypermitting him to accomplish the desired operations from a safedistance.

In Fig. 11 there is disclosed a third use of the device. Referring tothat figure it will be seen that there are disclosed two bus bars, eachfeeding a load thru a circuit breaker. If for any reason, such as thefailure of a circuit breaker, it becomes desirable to feed both of theloads from one bus bar, this may be accomplished easily and safely,without interrupting the flow of current, if each tap line leading tothe load is provided with a receptacle. Assuming them to be provided asindicated, with receptacles I00, a flexible cable I ill having a plug l02 at each end is used to connect the receptacles, each plug beinghandled by an operating stick. Current will then pass from the bus thruthe unaffected one of the circuit breakers, dividing at this point apart going to load directly, and a part going to load thru the jumperflexible cable lfll.

Now having described the invention and the preferred embodiment thereof,it is to be understood that the said invention is to be limited, not tothe specific details and applications herein set forth, but only by thescope of the claims which follow.

What I claim is:

1. Connecting and disconnecting means of a remotely operable safetytype, particularly adapted for use with a tap line, including astationary receptacle adapted to be secured to and electricallyconnected to the line and provided with a rotatable locking sleeve, aplug adapted to be connected, by a flexible cable, to apparatus which isto be supplied by the circuit, and provided with an enlarged blade forinsertion into the receptacle, the locking sleeve having a part which,when the sleeve is properly positioned, prevents withdrawal of the plugfrom the receptacle by forming an obstacle in the path of withdrawal ofthe blade, the plug being provided with a removable key whichfacilitates insertion and withdrawal of the plug, the key having a partwhich interlocks with the plug and thereby with the sleeve, whereby thekey may not be withdrawn from the plug after the latter has beeninserted, until the key is rotated to lock the plug in place.

2. Connecting and disconnecting means of a remotely-operable safetytype, particularly adapted for use with high tension circuits, includinga stationary receptacle adapted to be secured to and electricallyconnected to the line and provided with a rotatable locking sleeve, aplug adapted to be connected, by a flexible cable, to apparatus which isto be supplied by the line, and provided with an enlarged blade forinsertion into the receptacle, the locking sleeve having a part which,when the sleeve is properly positioned, prevents withdrawal of the plugfrom the receptacle by forming an obstacle in the path of withdrawal ofthe blade, the sleeve being rotatable to permit the sleeve part to berotated out of the path of withdrawal of the blade, the plug beingprovided with a removable key which facilitates insertion and withdrawalof the plug, the key having a part which interlocks with the plug andthereby with the sleeve, whereby the key may not be withdrawn from theplug after the latter has been inserted, until the key is rotated torotate the sleeve and thereby to lock the plug in place.

3. In combination, a tap line, a receptacle connected thereto, aflexible cable, at one end connected to apparatus and at the other endprovided with a plug adapted to be inserted in said receptacle, and anoperating stick and key for facilitating the plugging in and withdrawalof the plug, the receptacle having a rotatable looking sleeve forpreventing withdrawal of the plug, when desired, the sleeve, the plug,and the key being provided with interlocking portions for preventing thekey from being withdrawn from the plug, when the latter is in thereceptacle, until the sleeve has been rotated to lock the plug in place.

4. In combination with a tap line a T shaped adapter secured to the lineby its cross bar, the leg of the T having a bore therein, a socketshaped receptacle having a stud disposed within the bore of andelectrically connected to the adapter, a hood for said receptacle, tworows of spring contact members in said receptacle, and a bottom platefor the receptacle and having therein a non-circular plug entranceaperture in alignment with said rows of contact members, the receptacle,at its lower end, having a skirt inside of which is secured an annularguide, a rotatable locking sleeve in said guide and having anon-circular opening therethru, the rotatability of said sleeve allowingalignment of said opening with that of the entrance aperture in thebottom plate of the receptacle.

5. In combination with a tap line, a T shaped adapter secured to theline by its cross bar, the leg of the T having a bore therein, a socketshaped receptacle having a stud disposed within the bore of andelectrically connected to the adapter, a hood for said receptacle,contact members in said receptacle, and a bottom plate for thereceptacle and having therein a non-circular plug entrance aperture, thereceptacle, at its lower end, having a skirt inside of which is securedan annular guide and a rotatably mounted locking sleeve, provided withdiametrically opposed slots thru which, when they are aligned with thereceptacle bottom plate aperture, a plug may be inserted.

6. In combination, a support, a receptacle provided with means'wherebyit may be permanently connected to a tap line, a hood for saidreceptacle, a U bolt for securing the hood and receptacle, as a unit, tothe support, contact members in said receptacle, and a bottom plate forthe receptacle and having therein a non-circular plug entrance aperture,the receptacle, at its lower end, having a skirt inside of which issecured an annular guide and a rotatably mounted locking sleeve providedwith diametrically opposed slots thru which, when they are aligned withthe receptacle bottom plate aperture, a plug may be inserted.

7. In combination with a tap line, a T shaped adapter securedto the lineby its cross bar, the leg of the T having a bore therein, a socketshaped receptacle having a stud disposed within the bore of andelectrically connected to the adapter, a hood for said receptacle,contact members in said receptacle, and a bottom plate for thereceptacle and having therein a non-circular plug entrance aperture, thereceptacle, at its lower end, having a skirt inside of which is securedan annular guide and a rotatably mounted locking sleeve, providedwith'diametrically opposed slots thru which, when they are aligned withthe receptacle bottom plate aperture, a plug may be in-' serted, thesleeve having a flange overhanging the guide to form a support for thesleeve.

8. In combination, a support, a receptacle provided with means wherebyit may be permanently connected to a tap line, a hood for saidreceptacle, a U bolt for securing the hood and receptacle, as a unit, tothe support, contact members in said receptacle, and a bottom plate forthe receptacle and having therein a non-circular plug entrance aperture,the receptacle at its lower end, having a skirt inside of which issecured an annular guide and a rotatably mounted locking sleeve providedwith diametrically opposed slots thru which, when they are aligned withthe receptacle bottom plate aperture, a plug may be inserted, the sleevehaving a flange overhanging the guide to form a support for the sleeve.

9. A line switch including a receptacle electrically connected to oneportion of the line and having a rotatable sleeve and a locking shoulderon said sleeve, a plug electrically connected to another portion of theline and having a blade for insertion into the receptacle, said bladewhen inserted being engageable with said locking shoulder, andplug-inserting means engageable with said plug and having means forrotating said shoulder into and out of locking engagement with saidblade.

10. A line switch including a receptacle electrically connected to oneportion of the line and having movable locking means therewithin, acontact plug electrically connected to another portion of said line, andplug inserting means engageable with said plug and having means formoving said locking means into and out of looking engagement with saidplug.

11. A line switch including a receptacle having a contact electricallyconnected to one portion of the line, a plug having a cooperatingcontact electrically connected to another portion of the line, a pluginserting member having means for detachably supporting the plug, meanswhereby rotation of the inserting member relative to the plug when thecontacts are in electrical engagement will disconnect the plug andinserting member, and means actuated by said inserting member uponrotation thereof to interlock said plug and receptacle againstwithdrawal of the plug upon removal of the inserting member.

12. In a switch, a receptacle having a contact, a removable plug havinga cooperating contact, an operating stick having means for detachablysupporting the plug, means whereby movement of the operating stickrelative to the plug when the contacts are in electrical engagement willdisconnect the plug and operating stick, and means actuated by saidstick upon the movement thereof to connect said plug and receptacleagainst withdrawal of the plug upon removal of the operating stick.

13. A switch including a relatively separable plug and receptacle, meanswithin the receptacle for locking the plug in electrical contact withsaid receptacle, and a carrier releasably engaging said plug forinserting the plug in said receptacle, said carrier having a portionthereof engageable with said locking means to effect the electricalcontact of the plug and receptacle in locked engagement against releaseupon removal of said carrier.

RICHARD E. SCHWARZ.

